Story Two: Adjusting
by JimberlyShipper
Summary: This is the second in my series A New Way of Life. It continues the rewrite of the first season of MMPR. Jason and Kimberly take their relationship further & Kim's father has a spell put on him by Zedd.
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer: This is the 2nd story in my **__A New Life Series__**. Finally, after writing the first 7 years ago. Nothing that is known to be someone else's is mine. This takes place a week or so after the first story, which is called **__Story One: The Powers__**. Which you should read first. OK onward and upward! **_

Story Two: Adjusting

By Julia

It was a typical Monday morning in Angel Grove, California. The Power Rangers, a group of normal teenagers, were chilling out in the park. There was petite Kimberly, with her long dark hair and hazel eyes, her boyfriend, Jason Scott, with his big muscles, brown eyes, and brown hair, chocolate skinned Zack, his new girlfriend, but old friend, almond eyed Trini Kwan, and the smartest in the bunch, Billy Mitchell. They had just got finished with the picnic, and Jason and Kimberly sat in a tangle of limbs underneath the tree they'd set up by. Zack and Trini sat next to each other holding hands. They weren't in the same place as Jason and Kim. They'd been together since Jason was 13 and Kim was 12. That was five years ago. And there was no chance of them breaking up anytime soon. They were completely devoted to each other.

Kimberly had brought her guitar, and she pulled it out, began strumming on it. She started playing _Sweet Home Alabama_. Jason kissed her on the cheek. They all started singing the song together. Kimberly was so happy. She had the best boyfriend, the best friends, it was all working.

Jason had his arm around her waist, and he'd hooked his thumb in her belt loop. His fingers were resting near her rear. She was very excited about that. They'd always had very good makeout sessions, but lately they'd talked about losing the v cards. She wanted to. She loved Jason so much. It was all she thought about. Great, now she forgot the words to the song.

Jason was very aware of where his hand was. He and Kim had been thinking about having sex for the first time. It was all he could think about right now. He had forgotten the words to the song. Zack met his eyes and smiled. Zack and Trini felt a little more comfortable, and were sitting with their arms around each other. Jason wanted to be alone with his girlfriend right then and there. He loved her so much. They had so much fun together. It might have to be tonight. He didn't know how much longer he could wait.

Zack held his arms tighter around his girlfriend. He was so glad things had worked out with him and Trini. He had thought that he wanted Angela, but he'd looked up, and there had been Trini. They'd known each other forever, too, it was just odd that it had just happened. He kissed her cheek, as they moved on to a new song. This one was _Highway To Hell_. They all sang it, Billy looking uncomfortable.

Kimberly finished playing and looked at her watch. "Oh, guys, it's time for Jason to get me home." This was not completely true. This was "I want to go home and have Jason love me till I scream." She just couldn't say that.

They all nodded and began packing up and heading there seperate ways. Jason and Kim went off together. He held her hand as they walked down the street. It was taking all of his restraint not to grab her and kiss her. They walked nearly everywhere. Jason had a Jeep but he liked to be environmentally friendly. Plus, Angel Grove was small.

Kimberly hoped her father wasn't home. It was easier than going to Jason's, he had five siblings that were almost always home. His eldest brother Charlie was the only one that wasn't there a lot. They had to worry about the baby, Owen, the young 12 year old Claudia, Jason's younger sister Julia, 17, and his fraternal twin brother Bailey. It was always a full house.

Jason could feel his wrists getting clammy. He was nervous. He did want to have sex with Kim, but he was nervous. He wasn't sure why. He loved her very much. He was ready for this. He was eighteen years old, he was completely ready. They had had a lot of fun doing all the other stuff. Kim had tried more than he thought she would. It had made him happy.

They reached Kimberly's house a few minutes later. Kimberly let herself in, pulling Jason behind her. She had a viselike grip on his hand. She closed the door and led them into the kitchen. She got to work doing the dishes. She wanted to make sure that she got all her chores done so her dad wouldn't complain. It was easier to avoid fighting and yelling.

Jason got a soda and sat down at the kitchen table. He watched her soap up the dishes, glad that they were finally going to do this. He couldn't imagine loving her more. He couldn't imagine loving anyone else at all. They had been friends since they were five years old. He thought he may have already loved her when she was five. He could remember the first day of kindergarten. Kim had actually been four, he was a few months older than she was. She had walked right up to him and kissed his cheek. He'd said, "What did you do that for?"

Kimberly had had on a pink skirt and a red flowery tank top. She'd grabbed his hand, too. "Cause I think you're nice." She said. Her shoulder length brown hair was in braids.

Jason hadn't been able to keep himself from grinning. They had been inseperable from that moment. They had also met Billy, Trini, and Zack that day. They had all played together nicely had it had been that way ever since.

Now, Kimberly was standing in front of him, smiling. She straddled him, giving him a smile as she kissed his neck. She ran her hands up his chest. It was strong. He was the strongest boy she knew. She felt so safe with him. She kissed him again, loving the feel of his muscles underneath her hands. She slipped her tongue into his mouth, and he slipped his into hers, sliding his hand up her shirt. He fumbled with her bra clasp. As he got it unhooked, he eased the cups off her breasts, and slipped his hand onto the left one. They were soft and he always loved touching them. Kimberly gave a shudder as Jason's thumb slid over her nipple. She liked that. She stopped kissing him long enough to pull off his shirt, dropping it to the floor. She ran her hands over his chest.

Jason, emboldened by her actions, pulled her shirt off her head and her bra off her arms. Then he captured her mouth with his again and ran both of his hands over her breasts. Kimberly groaned and ran her hands across his back. He picked her up, carrying her to the living room couch. He laid her on it, and held himself over her. He lowered his mouth to hers, fumbling with his jeans. He unbuttoned them and slipped them off his hips, along with his boxer shorts. Kimberly helped him dispatch her underwear and shorts. He held himself above her. "You ready, babe?" He asked.

Kimberly nodded. "Yes, baby, I'm ready." She ran her hands along Jason's strong arms. She gasped as he entered her, going slowly, so as not to hurt her. He thrust deeper inside, and she cried out in pain and esctasy. It hurt at first, and then it felt better then she had ever had in her life. "Oh Jason." She cried out. She ran her hands in his hair, making it stand up. He thrust a couple of more times, and they both cried out together. Spent, Jason pulled out and lay next to her, putting his arms around her. She laid her head on his chest. "I love you so much, Jason Scott." She said, running her hand along his chest.

Jason kissed her forehead. "I love you, too, Kimberly Ann Hart. More than I could ever love anyone else. I don't ever want to be with anyone else but you." He held her close. "I love you so much. Since I was five years old." He hoped one day they'd get married. He didn't want to be with anyone else. He only wanted Kimberly. He thought it would be stupid to ask her to marry him now, but he wanted to.

Kimberly didn't want to be with anyone else, either. She was in heaven lying with him like this. "I don't ever want to leave this couch." They heard a car door slamming outside. "Oh, shit, Dad's home." They quickly jumped off the couch, grabbing their clothes and hurrying in to get the rest of the clothes. Kimberly yanked her shorts up. "Daddy'll kill you if he finds out what happened." She said, as Jason finished getting dressed. Kimberly finished hooking her bra and yanked her tank top over her head. She couldn't believe how close they came.

Michael Hart came into the house, calling out, "Kim, you home, sweetheart?" He placed his briefcase on the hall table and took off his jacket and hung it on the coat rack. He headed into the kitchen. "Oh, hi, Jason." He said. He wasn't so sure that he liked Jason. He'd never seen Jason do anything to hurt Kim, but he _was_ a teenage boy. Teenage boys could not be trusted.

Jason took a deep breath of relief. "Hi, Mr. Hart." He said. He had taken Kim's hand. He knew anything more would be a bad idea. He had always done his best to get on Mr. Hart's good side, but it had never really done much good. Of course, it wouldn't do much good now that he actually _had _had sex with Kim.

Michael said, "Son, I think it's about time you went on home." Jason was always at the house. Michael was starting to think he lived there. He almost preferred it when they'd spent all their time at the Scotts'. Of course, that was when Charlie had been home more often. Now there was really no adult supervision. He thought Jason and Kimberly were too serious. They'd begun dating at 12, and Jason had been 13. He thought that was too serious. He'd been hoping that she'd start dating someone else. He hoped it'd be that Zachary Taylor boy. He had parents who were alive and almost always home in the evenings.

Kimberly said, "Daddy, it's only seven o'clock." She turned to Jason. "Let's go watch a movie, babe." She shook her head at her father. She didn't like to defy her father, but she did when it came to Jason. She thought that her father was very unreasonable. Jason had never done anything to her father. She was so tired of her father's attitude towards Jason.

The next day, they were at the Youth Center. They were doing some studying while Jason was teaching his karate class. Zack was at the counter, getting them some sodas. He said, "Sup, Ernie?" Ernie ran the Youth Center. They all loved Ernie.

Ernie said, "I'm planning on having a dance. I'm raising money for the orphanage." He filled up the soda cups and put it on a tray for him.

Zack said, "We'll be there, Ernie. My first dance with Trini as my girl. It'll be great." He took the tray of sodas to the table. Billy hadn't joined them yet. Zack sat down next to Trini. "Guys, Ernie's having a dance." He said, as he handed out the sodas.

Kimberly said, "Oh, hey, that'll be awesome. I love going to dances with Jason." She went to write something down in her notebook. She had slept great the night before. After Jason had left at eleven, she'd showered, and gone straight to bed. She had slept like a rock. She had fought with her father this morning about Jason, but that was nothing new. They fought about Jason all the time. She didn't even tell Jason how much they fought. She tried to keep the peace as much as she could. Jason would have just made her stay at his house as much as possible, and it wasn't that bad. Her dad never hit her, they just argued at lot. Kimberly had been shocked when her father had asked her why she hadn't ever dated that Zachary Taylor boy. Jason had never treated her badly for her father to be treating him this way. It upset her. Only Trini knew what was really happening.

Zack said, "Trini, would you like to go with me?" He gave her a smile as he kissed her cheek. He was on top of the world. He loved being a Power Ranger, he had an awesome girlfriend, Angel Grove was an awesome place to live. He couldn't imagine life getting any better. He took a sip from his soda glass.

Trini gave Zack a smile back. "Of course. Kim, we'll have to go dress shopping." She knew Kim and Michael had fought the night before. She knew shopping would make Kim feel better. She also thought it was strange that Michael wanted Kimberly to date Zack. He hadn't even spent that much time with Zack. She'd tried to tell Kim she should tell Jason about it. She thought it was best to be honest, even though she understood why Kim hadn't told him.

Kimberly gave her a knowing smile. "Good idea, Trini. I'm glad that you suggested it. I want to get something that'll knock Jason's socks off." She didn't usually have to try. Jason always thought she looked beautiful in no matter what she wore. She loved him so much. No one could treat her better. She was also glad Trini was such a good friend. She didn't know what she'd do without Trini.

Jason finished up with his class. He bowed to them, and then went to say hi to Kim and the others before going to take a shower. He gave Kim a quick kiss. "I don't want to hug you babydoll, I'm all sweaty. Just wanted to say hi before I take a shower. What's up?" He asked, slipping his gym bag on his shoulder.

Kim said, "Ernie's having a dance, baby. Do you want to go? Should be fun." She laced her fingers with Jason's. She loved holding his hand. She liked the way their hands looked together.

Jason smiled and gave her another kiss. "Sure, babe, should be fun. I'm going to go and shower, and then we can go to the movies and dinner." He kissed her cheek and headed off to the locker room. He knew something was bothering Kim. He just didn't know what. He hoped that she would tell him. She always told him everything. There was no secrets between them. He had known something was bothering her for a little while. He'd just not decided on how to bring it up to her.

About a half an hour later, he and Kimberly were in his Jeep. They were going to Stone Canyon to the movies. It was a little far away. They had dressed up a little, it was the anniversary of their first kiss. Kimberly had gotten into another fight with her father before the date. He'd argued that this should be the oppurtunity she needed to break up with Jason. She'd just ignored her father and gone outside to wait for Jason. She'd done her best to get rid of the annoyance before Jason showed up. It had worked. But she could tell that Jason knew something was bothering her. He'd been way sweeter than he normally was. She appreciated it.

Jason pulled up at the movie theater, and they went inside. He paid for his tickets, and then they went to sit down. He put his arm around her. He was glad they'd gotten to get out that night. He'd been wondering what had happened since he'd dropped her off at home to change. He wsa thinking maybe she'd fought with Michael. She didn't know it yet, but she was going to spend the night with him. He didn't want her to have to worry about anything. She could always use the excuse that she was spending the night with his sister Julia. He'd often thought about asking Kim to move in. Her mother lived in Paris and didn't have much contact with her anymore.

Meanwhile, Lord Zedd was looking down at Earth. He'd seen the fight the Pink Ranger had had with her father. He was trying to figure out how to use it to his advantage. He called Finster into the room. "Finster! Get in here!" He yelled.

Finster came into the room. He liked Zedd a lot. He thought it was a joy to suck up to him. "Yes, Lord Zedd?" He asked, giving Zedd a bow.

Zedd gave Finster a look. "I want you to come up with a spell to put on Kimberly's father. I want to make him abusive. Get cracking." A little while later, the spell had worked. Michael Hart had turned abusive. Kimberly was refused permission to sleep at the Scotts' and she'd gotten hit. Since she didn't want Jason to fight her father and get hurt, she was going to hide it.

_**Author's note: Chapter two will be posted soon. Hope you liked this! Leave a review if you want! :)**_


	2. Living With A Monster

Chapter Two: Living With A Monster

The following couple of weeks were hard on Kimberly. Her father got worse all the time. She was finding it hard not to let on what was going on. Her father was good at hiding the places he hit her, so bruises wouldn't show, but they'd had a couple of putty fights, and she had been less skilled because of how sore she was. She had told them she was just tired from practicing her gymnastics. They'd been buying it for a little while. Pretty soon they weren't going to take her word for it anymore. Kimberly had been having troubles with her father, but he'd never acted like this before and it was starting to worry her. And she knew once Jason found out, he was going to want to _kill _her father. She just couldn't let that happen. She didn't want Jason to hurt her father or vice versa. Jason's martial arts training taught him not to fight unless it couldn't be avoided, but her father doing this to her was going to make him want to.

Julia, Jason's sister, had picked her up for school that day. Jason had a doctor's appointment. She had a couple of bruises on her upper arms that were still healing, and she was wearing a three quarter length sleeve shirt to hide them. He normally aimed better. Julia smiled at her as Kim climbed into the car. "Hey, Kim." She said, giving a toss of her hair behind her shoulder.

Kimberly smiled back. She had managed not to fight with her father that morning, he'd spent the night with someone the night before. If Jason had been going straight to school, she'd have had him spend the night. She'd not been able to sleep so well as of late. "Morning, Jules. How's my man?" She asked, tucking a strand of caramel colored hair behind her ear. She added, "Thanks for the ride, Jules. I appreciate it."

Julia smiled again. "He's doing fine. A little nervous about the doctor. He doesn't like going but you know that. Oh my gosh. I forgot. Skull called the house last night." Skull was one of the school bullies. He and Bulk, his best friend, didn't like them and their friends. Didn't stop Skull from asking the girls out on occasion.

Kimberly was surprised that Skull had called the Scott house. He must have been getting brave. "What did he want, Jules?" She asked. She bet he'd been calling to ask Julia out. That had to be the only reason. He was scared of Charlie and he hated Jason and Bailey.

Julia laughed. "He was calling to ask me out. He said he wanted to take me to the movies and out for dinner. I couldn't believe that he got so bold. Most guys don't call the house because they're scared of Charlie." Charlie was over six feet tall. and he wasn't very built, but he wasn't skinny, either. He could hold his own in a fight.

Kim couldn't help but laugh too. "Wow. You told him no, right? Justin would kill you." Justin was Julia's boyfriend. He was a very nice young man. He'd been going with Julia for about a year or so.

Her friend nodded. "Of course. I told him he could take me out as long as Justin told him it ws OK. He hung up and did not call back." She said, and they both laughed.

When they reached the school, they met up with Bailey, Zack, and Zack's cousin Curtis. Kim had briefly dated Curtis for about a week in the sixth grade before Jason had asked her out. She and Curtis had always been close. He gave her a kiss on the cheek. "What's up, Kimmie?" He asked, as he did a couple of dance steps. Curtis and Zack both enjoyed dancing and they were _very_ good at it. They always had been.

Kimberly smiled at Curtis. She was glad that Curtis had gone for a kiss instead of hugging her, it might have hurt her bruised arms. She said, "I'm doing great, Curtis. How are you?" She shook her head at his offer to carry her bookbag, even though it would make her arms feel so much better.

Curtis shrugged. "Can't complain. Curtis Taylor is not anything if not awesome. Where's that hunky stallion of yours?" He asked, as they started down the hall to their lockers. Trini joined the group on the way.

Kimberly replied, "He's got a doctor's appointment this morning. Charlie went with him. He might be back this afternoon." She reached her locker and opened it up, to get some of her books and put some of them away. She was lost in thought, wondering what she was going to do about her father. She still couldn't believe the complete turnaround her father had had. She couldn't stop thinking about it. She had started to come up with reasons to never go home, and she wondered why none of her friends had noticed. Normally, that was something they would have noticed right away.

Meanwhile, Jason and Charlie sat outside the Harts'. He was going to confront Michael about why Kimberly had been acting different. He suspected that her father had gotten worse. Charlie had gone along with him for moral support. Also, to be a witness to the goings' on. Jason got out of the car and headed up to the front door. Michael, they knew would be home, he had called off work. They'd called his work to ask if he was there. Jason was powerfully angry. He wanted to kill Michael if he was hurting Kim, but he knew he shouldn't. He had tried to get Kimmie to tell him what was wrong and she wouldn't. He wanted to fix whatever it was, he was her boyfriend, it was his job. He rang the bell, waiting outside impatiently.

Michael came to the door, wearing his pajammas. He looked like he'd gotten no sleep. He made a face at them. "What are you doing here, Jason?" He was no longer hiding his contempt for Jason. He would beat the boy senseless if he had to. He was probably here to talk about Kimberly and how Michael raised Kimberly was none of anyone else's business.

Jason folded his arms. "Why is Kim acting so different? She won't talk to me about what's bothering her, she says all the time that she's too sore from her gymnastics. She almost never wears anything short sleeve anymore. Are you beating her? Because that is unacceptable. She is a totally beautiful, happy, awesome girl. If you beat her it's going to put the fire in her out." He knew that he probably sounded crazy, but he was very passionate about protecting Kimberly. He loved her so much that he didn't want anything to happen to her. And he knew that Kim loved her father. If Michael _was _beating his daughter, it made sense that she hadn't told Jason, she wouldn't want Jason and Michael to fight.

Michael gave Jason an evil death glare and inched closer. Charlie inched close to his brother, giving Michael a glare, too. Michael snapped, "I'm not beating my kid. And I resent the accusation, Scott. You and your brother need to get off my property and not return. You are not allowed to see my daughter anymore." He slammed the door shut in Jason's face.

Jason was not surprised that that had happened. He turned to his brother. "OK, so what's next? Where do we take it from here?" He knew his brother would know. He wished Kim had confided in him, and he also hoped that she wouldn't be mad that he had come here today.

Charlie said, "We have to get Kim to talk to you about it and show you her bruises so we can call the cops. Let me know when you've gotten her to do that, 'cause then we can call the cops." He started back towards the car.

Meanwhile, the kids were all sitting down to lunch. Kimberly had just gotten her tray and had joined her friends. It was all of them minus Jason, and Bailey and Julia had joined them. She had gotten a slice of pizza and a salad and a soda. She smiled at Curtis as he joined them. She was hoping everything had gone alright with Jason at the doctor's. She was sure it had but still. She took a bite of salad. "Do you think everything went OK with Jase at the doctors?" She asked.

Zack nodded. "I imagine he should be back soon. Didn't you say he was coming back to school after it was over, Jules?" He'd gotten a burger and fries and was chowing down.

Julia nodded, slapping her brother's hand away as he went to grab one of her chips. "Yeah, Charlie was supposed to bring him back after the appointment was over. I'm sure he's OK. It was just supposed to be a routine checkup." She slapped Bailey's hand away again.

Speaking of the devil, he arrived. He was wearing jeans and his ever present red tank top. He was carrying a bag of Mickey Ds. He joined them at the table, sitting down next to Kim. "Babe, I brought you a milk shake." He handed it over as he kissed her cheek. He would have brought her a meal but he had figured that she would have already gotten her lunch. He had gotten a Big Mac and fries and a milk shake, too.

Kimberly smiled. "Thanks, sweetie." She gave him a kiss on the cheek. She was glad to see him. She had missed him while he'd been gone. She pushed her chair a little closer to his and took a bite of her pizza.

Zack teased Jason, "And where's mine, honey bunch?" He batted his eyes at Jason, laughing. Jason gave his best friend a smirk and stuck his tongue out.

After lunch, Jason was walking Kim to class. He was trying to find the way to bring it up about Michael. He didn't want to upset her and cause a fight. He said, "Kimmie, is there anything that you would like to tell me?" He made sure to use a tone that told her he already had the answer.

Kimberly wondered what to say. She knew that Jason must have a suspicion about her father by the way he asked the question. She hedged, "I love you?" She gave him a kiss on the cheek and took his hand.

Jason gave her a small smile. Despite the seriousness of what he had to talk to her about, he couldn't help but think how adorable she was. "I love you, too, babe, but that's not what I meant. I meant is there something about your father that you would like to tell me?"

Kimberly ran her free hand through her hair. She was not going to tell him even if he did know. She didn't want to confirm anything. She was sure that her father would change. Even if itr had come on so suddenly. She said, "No, babe, there isn't. I have to go to my locker." She let go of his hand and went off down the hall.

Jason sighed. He was going to have to think about this. Maybe ask Charlie some advice. He hated that Kim seemed to be upset with him now. He was joined by Trini. She looked worried. "What's up, Trene?" He asked.

Trini lowered her voice. "Jase, I want to talk to you about something. Do you think Kim's dad is beating her?" Trini had suspected for a little while, especially since she knew that Kim and Michael had been fighting. She didn't want to break her confidence with Kim, though.

Jason lowered his voice, too. "Of course I wish I didn't, but I do. She's been acting so oddly lately. I wish that I could get her to tell me about it. I want to help her." He wanted to talk to Zack about where he and Charlie had really gone. He told Zack everything. He also wanted to ask if he should tell Kim where he had gone.

Trini said, "I think so, too. Maybe we could plan an intervention, tell her what we suspect." They had reached Trini's class. She and Billy had science together, and Jason, Kim, and Zack had English together. She stood at the door with him for a minute. "We should talk about it after school. Make a plan. Maybe we can do it at Kim's when Mr. Hart isn't home."

Jason knew that wasn't possible, since she wasn't supposed to go back to his girlfriend's. He said, "No, we should do it at my house. It's bigger and everyone can join us. We'll talk about it at the Youth Center, Kim's got her class to teach."

Zedd was watching. He was not liking that Jason was figuring out what was going on. But what to do? It had to be the right thing. He was listening to Squatt and Baboo arguing about who was more evil. He yelled at them to shut up. He was trying to think. He wasn't at all sure what he should do now. He was pacing about his throne room. "Finster!" He yelled loudly.

The monster maker come hurrying into the room. He said, "Yes, Lord Zedd? How may I serve you?" He stood awaiting for his instruction.

Zedd said, "Finster, I need an idea, on how to get back at Jason. He's starting to figure out what we did to Kim's father. What do you suggest?" He asked. He didn't usually take Finster's ideas like this, but he was fresh out of ideas of his own.

Finster wasn't sure what Zedd wanted. He only wanted to tell Zedd what he wanted to hear. "Maybe you could put a spell on Jason. Or on Kimberly. Make her angry at Jason. So she won't confide in him with what is going on with her father. I could get right on finding a spell to help." He thought it wasn't his best idea, but it might work. It could cause the abuse to continue.

Zedd mulled this over for a minute. That could work. If Kim was angry at Jason she'd not tell him about what was going on at home. It could work. "Sounds good, Finster. I accept this plan. Get right on it." He watched as Finster quickly headed back to his monster making room. He didn't know what he would do without Finster.

The following day, Kim and Jason were having a screaming match in the school hallway. "Jason! I told you! I don't want to talk about it! You have got to leave me alone! Ugh, maybe we need to take a break." She said, her eyes filling with tears.

Jason felt like she'd taken a knife and stabbed him in the heart with it. "Kim, please tell me that you're not serious." He said, giving her a pleading look.

Kimberly wished she wasn't. Tears were falling down her face. "I'm sorry. Call me when you're ready to just drop it." She turned and walked down the hall, her shoulders sagging.

_**Author's note: Hope you liked! I watched all three parts of **__A Different Shade of Pink__**, and it was AWFUL. Like for instance, when Kimberly was in the hospital, and for one, her father wasn't there, and for two, they were just handing out medical information about her to Tommy and Billy. That NEVER would have happened. She was a minor. And let's say she wasn't, that she was eighteen. They still wouldn't have just willy nilly handed out information to people that were not related to her. Now I know why I stopped watching after Jase, Zack, and Trini left. WOW just WOW**_


	3. Things Can't Get Worse

Chapter Three: Things Can't Get Worse

A couple of weeks later, Kimberly and Jason still weren't back together. They'd both been moping around the school miserable. Kimberly was very bruised. You couldn't see any of them, but they were all over her body. Trini had been trying to get her to admit what was going on, and she wouldn't. She still was keeping everything very close to the vest. Zordon was starting to notice something was not kosher. "ALPHA, ZERO IN ON THE PINK RANGER'S HOUSE. I FEAR SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT THERE."

Alpha turned the viewing globe on Kimberly's house. She was just getting home from school. She was wearing a pair of very baggy pink jeans and one of Jason's red tee shirts. It was huge on her. It covered the bruises better. Alpha watched as Michael slapped her across the face. He was yelling that she had to stop seeing that Jason boy. He didn't believe that she had stopped. Alpha said, "Oh, Zordon, it's awful! Her father appears to be beating her. I wonder why this is occuring."

Zordon was shocked. He could not believe that this was happening. He wondered if Zedd was the one that had done this to Kim's father. It made no sense. Her father had gotten like this seemingly out of nowhere. Zordon wasn't sure what to do. Michael Hart was a human man. They couldn't send the Rangers after him. He decided to have Alpha call Jason. He could ask Jason what they should do. When Jason answered, he said, "JASON, ARE YOU AWARE OF WHAT KIM'S FATHER IS DOING TO HER?"

Jason was surprised Zordon had contacted him, but he was not surprised that something was happening to Kim. "No, I'm not, Zordon. She hasn't told me anything. She broke up with me a couple of weeks ago. It's been pretty miserable times for both of us. What's going on with Kim's dad? He's been beating her, hasn't he?" Jason still thought that was going on. Charlie wouldn't let him go back to the Harts'. He'd insisted that Michael would most likely call the cops, and they didn't want that. Jason had been wracking his brain, trying to figure out what he could do to help her.

Zordon replied, "YES, JASON. I WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW SO THAT WE CAN COME TO A DECISION ABOUT IT TOGETHER." He was hoping Jason would have a solution. He didn't know that they should do. The situation was very complicated. He did not see an easy solution to this.

Jason could feel tears welling up in his eyes. He could not believe that he was right. "Well, my brother Charlie said she has to admit he's doing it before anything can be done. I'm not allowed to go back there. He doesn't like me very much, and he told me that he'd call the cops if I showed back up. Told me that I was to stop dating Kim. She doesn't know any of that, I didn't tell her. I feel badly about that. I have been trying to figure out how to help her since." Jason wished that there was some way he could help Kimberly. He had been wracking his brain every waking minute. He was at a loss.

Zordon mulled this over. "MAYBE ALPHA AND I SHOULD BRING KIMBERLY TO THE COMMAND CENTER. TELL HER WE KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON. WOULD YOUR BROTHER ALLOW KIMBERLY TO STAY WITH YOU AT YOUR HOUSE?"

Jason knew Charlie would, even though it would be risky. He thought they'd have a hard time convincing Kim to do it, too. "Yes, Zordon, I think she will be able to stay at our house. Charlie should let her. He's been trying to help me keep her safe. I have been wondering if Zedd has Kim's dad under a spell. Do you think that could be going on, Zordon?"

This had not occured to Zordon. He mused for a second. "Possibly. How long has this been going on with Kimberly?" He asked.

Jason thought for a second. "Well, the beatings have been going on for a few weeks, but the fights have been going on for longer. They've been fighting about Kim dating me. Mr. Hart doesn't like me very much. Not sure why. But it was odd that he just started beating her out of nowhere. I tried to get her to talk to me about it and she wouldn't."

Zordon said, "WELL, WE WILL JUST GET HER AWAY FROM HER FATHER FOR NOW. I WILL TELEPORT HER TO THE COMMAND CENTER. AFTER WE TALK TO HER, AND THEN WE'LL CALL YOU TO JOIN US."

Kimberly was just getting to the kitchen to decide what to fix for dinner when her communicator went off. She quickly answered it, glad her father wasn't home from work just yet. She said, "Yes, Zordon?"

Zordon said, "KIMBERLY, ALPHA AND I NEED TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT SOMETHING. WE'RE GOING TO TELEPORT YOU TO THE COMMAND CENTER."

Kimberly told Zordon OK, and wondered what they had to talk to her about. She hoped it wasn't about her father. She didn't want to talk about that. She was teleported to the Command Center, and she tried her best to straighten her baggy clothes. She looked up at Zordon. "Is there something amiss, Zordon?" She asked.

Zordon glanced at Alpha before he turned to Kimberly. "KIMBERLY, IS YOUR FATHER BEATING YOU?" He wasn't sure what he was expecting, but it definitely wasn't the truth.

Kimberly blushed to the roots of her hair. She wasn't sure what she should say. She was tired of keeping it a secret, but she wasn't so sure that she wanted to say anything. She ran her hand through her hair nervously. She said, "I guess there's no point in hiding it anymore. Yes, my father is beating me." She fidgeted with the bottom of Jason's shirt.

Zordon said, "WELL, UNTIL WE CAN FIGURE OUT WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT, YOU ARE GOING TO GO LIVE WITH JASON FOR A LITTLE WHILE. IF YOUR FATHER TRIES TO PROTEST, WE WILL MAKE SURE THAT WE LET THE AUTHORITIES SEE YOUR BRUISES. GO BACK TO YOUR HOUSE NOW WHILE YOUR FATHER ISN'T HOME AND GATHER UP SOME THINGS, I'LL TELL JASON TO HELP YOU. WE WILL KEEP YOU SAFE, KIMBERLY."

A little while later, Kimberly was holding a pink duffle bag and filling it with clothes. When she had gotten it full, she headed out to put the bag on her porch. She saw her boyfriend striding across her lawn, and she dropped it and they ran towards each other. Jason scooped her up in his arms, and she sobbed onb his shoulder. Jason was her protector. She felt safe when he was around, even if she didn't need him to protect her. She hugged him as tightly as she could. "Oh, Jase, I love you so much." She said, breathing in the scent of his neck.

Jason was so glad that she had come forward. "Oh, Kim, I love you, too." He held her as close as he could. He didn't want anything to happen to her. He held her for another minute and let go. "Come on, we have to get your stuff together. Charlie says he trusts us enough to share my room, which is high praise." She laughed a little nervously and they went to pack up some more of her things.

About an hour later, they had arrived at Jason's with as much of Kim's stuff as they could fit in Bailey's Jeep. Bailey and Julia came out to help. They each grabbed some bags and they started up the steps. They took everything into Jason's room. He'd already cleaned out some space for her things. About an hour or so later, she was all moved in. Jason and Kim sat on the bed to talk. It was Julia's night to cook and she was doing so. Jason had his arms around Kim, and she was relishing it. She asked, "Jase, what do you think is going to happen? I'm kind of scared."

Jason kissed the top of her head. She was leaning against him. He said, "I don't know, sweetheart, but I do know that you'll be safe, I will do whatever I can to make sure that you stay safe. I love you very much. Protecting you is my job." He tightened his grip on her. They sat together, until Julia called everyone to dinner, and Jason hoped that he'd made her feel safe.

The next couple of weeks went by quickly. They'd had to call the cops on Michael, he'd come storming over to the Scotts' the next day demanding that they hand Kimberly over and they wouldn't. He was put in jail and Kimberly was given a social worker. Her mother could not be reached in Paris. They were a little concerned by this, but Kim was safe and sound for the moment, so that's all they really cared about. Kim hated that all of this was happening. She and Jason had discussed it might be a spell that Zedd had put him under, but they couldn't figure out if he had or not, and they hadn't had any monster fights to support the theory, either. They weren't sure what to think, but everyone tried to do their best to keep Kim as happy as they could, and her social worker assigned her a therapist.

Zedd watched all of this. He was not happy Kimberly was safe, but he was not sure how to fix the situation to his liking. He was going to have to think on it. He wasn't happy with the situation at all. His underlings all feared for their lives.

Kimberly spent most of the nights very glad that she had Jason's very strong arms wrapped around her, and worrying about her father. She still loved him, and was afraid of what was going to happen to him. It was making her very nervous, and apprehensive. She knew that Jason and the others just wanted her to be safe, but she didn't like what had to be done. She hated the whole situation. She was lying in bed, Jason's arms wrapped around her. She was watching him sleep. He looked peaceful. She loved watching him sleep. It made her imagine what their kids would look like when they were sleeping. She wished she could fall asleep. She was so tired of not sleeping. It had been like this for a month. She was starting to get exhausted.

The next morning, she awoke to a very bright sun. She was alone in the bed, and panicked for a second. Then she breathed deeply and told herself that Jason was either in the bathroom, or in the kitchen. She always freaked out like this every time she woke up alone. She didn't know why, it's not like she'd been in the habit of sleeping with other people before she'd moved in. There was a knock on the door. She called, "Come in."

It was Charlie. He sat down on the end of the bed. He said, "I just wanted to see how you were doing. I know this has all been hard on you. Kim, you're like one of the family. We care very much about you. I want you to talk to me about anything you want. I have no doubt that you and Jason will get married one day, and that makes me your future brother in law. What I'm trying very long windedly say is if you want to talk I'm here. Do you want to talk? Jase says you haven't been sleeping so well."

Kimberly tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. She was very appreciative of everything Charlie had done for her. She knew that she'd never be able to repay him. She wondered if she could talk to him about what was bothering her. She cast her head down, and then looked up at him. "Char, I am really worried about my dad. I know that it's better that I'm here and safe, but he's my dad. I don't want anything bad to happen to him. Even though he beat me. Does that make any sense?"

Charlie thought it sort of did. He didn't think that he could forgive something like that, but it took a special kind of person to forgive something like that. He also knew that Kimberly loved her father, and it was hard for her to believe he had done something like that to her. He said, "No, Kim, I think that makes complete sense. He's your father, and he raised you. It's hard for you to believe he would do something like this to you. But Kim, you may have to face the fact that maybe being with your dad isn't the best thing for you right now. I know it may be hard for you to accept. But maybe your father will change. This was very sudden that he began doing this to you."

Kimberly hoped Charlie was right, but she wasn't sure that she felt any better. She wished she did, but she didn't. She said, "Thanks, Char. I wish I could say I felt better, but I don't."

Their talk was interrupted by a very loud banging downstairs. They both hurried to see what it was. Michael Hart was there, banging on the front door with a gun.


	4. And Then They Do

Chapter Four: And Then They Do

Kimberly gave a cry. "Daddy, what are you doing?" She thought he had the craziest look in his eye that she had ever seen. This was going to end up badly, she just knew it.

Michael held the gun up, pointing it at them. Charlie had had to let him in. He had a crazed look in his eye. There was a restraining order, he was breaking the law just being there. He had the shotgun pointed right at Kimberly. He could hardly believe he was doing this. It felt very strange. He didn't put the gun down, though. He said, "Kimberly Ann, you are going to come back home with me right now."

Kimberly shared a look with Charlie before she turned to look at her father. She had tears falling down her cheeks. Julia was in the kitchen, and she was dialing 911 on the phone. Kimberly said, "Daddy, I can't. And you're not supposed to be here. There's a…." She broke off for a minute. "Restraining order. And what are you doing out of jail? Are you out on bail?" Her heart hurt just saying the words. She could hardly believe that this was her life now. She'd thought she and Jason wouldn't live together until college.

Speaking of Jason, he came flying in the back door and joined them in the living room. He stopped right next to Kimberly, taking her hand in his and squeezing. He said, "Mr. Hart, what are you doing? This is just insane. You can't _do_ this. And it's certainly not helping your case." He ignored the 'bro are you crazy look' he got from his brother.

Michael turned the gun on Jason. Kimberly gave a shriek. Michael said, "You have got to be kidding me, Jason. You come and take my daughter away, and then you try and tell me I can't take her back? I don't want to shoot anyone. If I have to, I will. Go get your stuff, Kim." He looked at Kim, but kept the gun trained on Jason. He was leaving this house with his daughter, God dammit.

Kimberly's heart was pounding as she shook her head at her father. She wanted Jason to take her in his arms, but she didn't think that that was such a good idea. She said, "I can't, Daddy. I wish I could. I wish things were different." She turned her head so that her father could see the bruise she still had on her face. That had happened the day Michael had come to take her home from the Scotts'. "That's where you hit me, Daddy. You need help before I can come back home." She said, tears falling down her face.

Charlie stepped a little closer, causing Michael to pull the gun on him. "Michael. You can't really think that this is going to get you anywhere. You aren't supposed to be this close to Kimberly. You're going to hurt your chances of getting her back. And I'm not going to let you hurt a soul in this house. You put that gun down. I am going to call the cops if you don't." He'd met Julia's eye, and he knew that she had already called the cops. He was hoping that they would get here soon. He was acting a lot braver than he actually felt. He just hoped that it would work.

Before anyone could do anything else, they heard sirens, and cops burst into the house. Two in the kitchen, and two in the front door, right behind Michael. They were all very surprised that the cops had arrived so quickly. Kim took a shuddering breath as she collapsed to the floor, and Jason put his arms tightly around her. The cops cuffed Michael, and led him out, lots of yelling. The cops took everyone's statement, except Kim's. Charlie insisted as her temporary guardian that they come back later. She stayed in Jason's arms the entire time, glad to let him protect her for the time being.

The following day at school, Kimberly and Jason were all anyone could talk about. She walked around school with her hair hanging in her eyes and Jason ever present at her side. She hated being the center of attention. She was getting into her locker when she was approached by Bailey's girlfriend Sarah. Sarah and Kimberly had had some interaction, but not a much as you would think. They weren't super close. Sarah was hugging her books to her chest and looking nervous. She asked, "Are you okay, Kim?"

Kimberly counted to five before she turned to look at Sarah. She had to tell herself that Sarah wasn't trying to be rude, it was just, Kim had felt it was a very stupid question. She said, "No, Sarah. I'm not okay. Why would you even ask that?" She asked, tucking a lock of dark brown hair behind her ear. Jason was going to be joining her as soon as he was finished at his locker. He almost never let her out of his sight. It should have bothered her, she was the fucking Pink Ranger for crying out loud. She could handle herself. But she liked it. She loved that he loved her that much. She met Sarah's eye, and the girl had the sense to look embarrassed.

Jason came up to them, giving Sarah a strange look. He liked Sarah just fine, but he knew that Kim and Sarah didn't really get along. He didn't know why, they had a lot in common. He asked, "Everything okay, ladies?"

Kimberly nodded, closing her locker. She smiled when she saw Jason. She slipped her hand into his. She wanted to go on to lunch with him now. She turned to Sarah. "Thanks for making me reminded of my pain, as if I needed to be." She only felt a little guilty as they walked away.

They joined everyone at the table. Bailey had been surprised that Sarah wasn't joining them. He wondered if something had happened with Kimberly and Sarah again. He still wondered why they didn't really get along. They only tolerated each other for the most part. Curtis placed his tray on the table and plopped into the chair next to his cousin's girlfriend. He said, "What's up, everybody?"

Zack gave his cousin a grin. "Sup, Curt?" He asked, as he took a couple of fries off Trini's plate. He smiled and gave Trini a kiss on the cheek. He and Trini had gone out to the movies and dinner the night before. She had had a lot of fun. Zack was glad that they'd started dating. He was happier with her than he would have been with Angela. Angela was actually kind of a bitch. He could not believe that he'd been chasing her like that.

Trini was casting glances at Kimberly, who was sitting next to Jason and just really being very quiet. She felt bad for Kim. She wished that she could make things better for her. She took a sip of her soda and admonished her boyfriend. "Stop stealing my fries, babe." She kissed him on the cheek, so he wouldn't feel too badly. She added, "Why did Sarah come running in here and crying?"

Kimberly shared a look with Jason, and then turned back to Trini. "I'd really rather not talk about it, Trene." She said, as she took a sip of her milk.

Everyone shared looks, but they didn't force the issue. Curtis changed the subject. "Ya'll ready for the dance Ernie's throwing? It's this weekend, you know." He said, as he took a bite of his burger.

Zack grinned. "The Zackman is. I'm going to kick everyone's butt." He said, as he ate some more fries.

Later that afternoon, Kimberly, Trini, and Julia were dress shopping for the dance. Julia and Trini were trying to keep Kim's mind off her father. They weren't sure that they were doing such a good job. She had been very quiet. They kept glancing at each other, trying to decide how to bring it up. They were afraid to. Julia said, "What kind of dress do you think you want, Kim?" She asked, knowing it would most likely be something pink. Kim liked her pink dresses.

That was something that normally would have done a good job distracting her. Kimberly loved clothes. Fingering a hot pink dress, she shrugged. "I guess something pretty. Do you think Jason's got his tux yet?" She asked, tilting her head at her friends.

"Jason's already got something to wear, yes." Julia doubted her brother was going to wear a tux. Jason wasn't always a tux kind of guy. He _did_ wear suits.

"Do you know what color his outfit will be? I want to get something that matches." She said, as she started flipping through the other dresses on the rack. That was something that she always wanted, was to match Jason.

That Julia didn't know. "I don't know for sure, Kim. But Jason usually goes black and red for suits, you know that. I'm going with Justin." Justin was Julia's boyfriend. He had asked her to go awhile back. She had been glad to say yes. She liked having a boyfriend for dances and whatnot.

Trini knew that Zack was wearing black, they had already picked out his suit. She was wanting something gold. She flipped through the racks, too, looking. "So, what do you like? Anything here?" She asked.

Shaking her head, Kimberly left the store. She knew her friends would follow, so she wasn't looking to see that they were. Seeing another store she liked, she led them to it. Right away, she spotted a light pink dress that she wanted. She _had_ to try it on. It had a full skirt and the bodice was plain and the neckline plunged a little. The sleeves were wide straps. She loved it. Taking it off the rack, she said, "I'm trying this dress on." Then she took it with her to the dressing rooms.

When she got inside, she took off her jeans and the red tank top of Jason's she'd been wearing and tried it on. The skirt hit her mid shins, and the neckline didn't show too much of her cleavage. It was just about perfect for dancing. She twirled around in it, and the skirt was great. This was it. This was the dress.

Meanwhile, Jason and Bailey were at the Scott house, working on dinner. Jason had decided to fix roast beef and mashed potatoes. He had been learning how to cook in the past couple of years, so they didn't have to have the same old things all the time. Bailey was mostly just being his little helper. As was Owen, although with him being so little he really wasn't doing much helping. Claudia was working on her homework. Jason called, "Claud, set the table, would ya?"

His little sister got up, exasperated, and came in the kitchen. She went and grabbed some plates and started setting them on the table. She went to the silverware drawer and got them out, too. "I was doing homework, Jase. And the girls aren't even home yet! Neither is Charlie."

"Claud, just please, I know what I'm doing." Jason said, as he got out the potato masher to start mashing potatoes. "Without me that fridge would be full of Chinese takeout boxes." No one in the house really knew how to cook except Jason.

Bailey was getting ready to warm up the Pillsbury rolls in the oven. "Do you think Kim got a good dress? Sarah says she already got one. She won't let me see it." He said, shrugging.

Jason worked at mashing the potatoes. He wanted to make sure there were no lumps. He said, "I'm sure that she got a great one. Stir the gravy, Bai." He requested. Yes, he knew how to make gravy from scratch. She was such a beautiful girl, his girlfriend, an he knew she'd look beautiful in anything that she chose to wear.

Speaking of the devil, Kimberly and Julia arrived, having dropped Trini off at home. "We're home, everyone!" Kim called, as she and Julia followed the smell of food to the kitchen.

Giving Kim a kiss, Jason put away the potato masher and pronounced the potatoes mashed. "Is Charlie going to be home for dinner, does anyone know?" He asked. Charlie worked at the family restaurant and wasn't always home.

Julia got out the jug of milk to start pouring for those who wanted it. "He's working, Big Brother. We're all home now." She said, as Jason took the gravy off the stove and put it in a bowl to put it on the table.

Then he set to work getting the rest of the food on the table. Then he said, "Alright guys, time to eat." He pulled out a chair for Kimberly to sit in. He was a gentleman that way.

Sitting down, Kimberly leaned up to accept a kiss from her boyfriend. She said, "It looks really good, baby." She watched as Bailey started putting food on everyone's plate. She wondered how long they'd continue to act as if nothing was wrong. She loved it here, though.

"Did you girls get dresses?" Jason asked, dropping into a chair next to Kimberly.

"I got one, but Jules couldn't find anything she liked." Kimberly replied.

The rest of the meal passed uneventfully, and then Jason and his girlfriend went up to his bedroom. Jason climbed onto the bed, pulling out his homework. Kimberly got her night clothes so she could take a shower. She leaned to give him a kiss. "I love you, thanks for dinner." She said, and then left the room.

While she showered, she was thinking about what she was going to do about her father. She didn't like what was going on with him and she didn't know where it had come from, this attitude. Kimberly missed her father even though she was very grateful for Jason and his family for letting her stay with them. She didn't know what she would do without him.

Clean at last, she got out of the shower and put on her night things. Then she headed back into Jason's room. He was still hard at work on his homework. She got out her own English homework and sat on the bed with him. She started work, and sent him little glances every few minutes. It didn't feel real sometimes, and she'd been with him for five years. It was all the changes in the past few weeks. It just didn't feel the same.

Meanwhile, Zedd was pacing his throne room. He was trying to figure out how to cause further trouble for the Power Rangers. He was angry that her father was now in jail and he couldn't use him to hurt the Pink Ranger anymore. He had to come up with something else. Once the spell wore off it would be too late, however, there'd be no getting out of jail for Michael Hart. He just had to come up with something else to do. Especially since Kimberly was completely safe at her boyfriend's house.

"Finster!" He called, and his minion came in from the monster making room where he usually was. "Make a new monster. I don't care what kind. Just make one." He'd take care of those Power Rangers yet.


End file.
